Vasiliki Saripanidi

Dr. Vasiliki Saripanidi is a Research Associate (Chercheuse qualifiée) with the FNRS at CReA-PATRIMOINE - Centre de Recherches en Archéologie et Patrimoine, Université libre de Bruxelles. Since 2022, she also serves as a Lecturer at the Department of History, Arts and Archaeology. Her academic journey includes a BA in History and Archaeology, MA and PhD in Classical Archaeology from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and an MA in Classics from Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Saripanidi's research focuses on the archaeology and history of the northern Aegean in the 1st millennium BC, with particular emphasis on the Macedonian kingdom under its first dynasty (the Temenids/Argeads). Her expertise spans:

• Aegean pottery from the Early Iron Age to the Classical period
• Funerary archaeology and mortuary practices
• Gender studies and social complexity
• Cross-cultural interactions in the ancient Mediterranean
• Political instrumentalization of archaeological evidence

Her methodological approach combines multiscalar contextual analysis of funerary evidence with theoretical frameworks for understanding social complexity, challenging traditional interpretations of Macedonian history.

Dr. Saripanidi has participated in numerous excavation projects across Greece, including Pella, Corfu, and Thessaloniki, where she has trained students in pottery analysis. Her teaching at ULB covers Greek pottery, cross-cultural interactions, and theoretical approaches to funerary evidence.

Her scholarly contributions include significant publications in prestigious journals such as the American Journal of Archaeology, with research demonstrating that the formation of the Macedonian kingdom involved complex social processes with fluctuating political centralization over time, rather than simple adoption of Greek cultural practices.

Dr. Saripanidi currently leads two major research initiatives: 'Dawn of Macedon: The Formation of the Temenid Kingdom' and 'The West Necropolis of Archontiko near Pella Project,' which she launched in 2022 in collaboration with the Greek Archaeological Service.